


My Heart Used to Know

by takemetofantasyland



Category: Anastasia - Flaherty/Ahrens/McNally
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Mentions of trauma following physical injury, no graphic descriptions of injury
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-09
Updated: 2019-05-13
Packaged: 2019-11-14 06:37:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18047438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/takemetofantasyland/pseuds/takemetofantasyland
Summary: Meeting Anya changed the course of Dmitry's life. But when an accident nearly rips her from his grasp, he suddenly is looking at his life through a whole new perspective—one where his wife doesn't remember her past. Now, he is challenged with helping her remember her past, who he is, and the life they've shared together.A very loose The Vow AU.





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> This idea came very quickly, and as soon as I rewatched this movie, I knew it needed to be a Dimya au. As always, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!

If you asked Dmitry to name the bravest person he knew, he would say Anastasia Romanov, every time, without hesitation.  

She had fire in her eyes, a bite in her words, and all he could do was smile and shake his head. He wouldn’t want it any other way.

He often found himself studying her, her smile, the way she laughed and every sharp remark she made. Often he was on the receiving end of her wit, but that was beside the point.

He believed a single moment could change the entire direction of a person’s journey through life. Meeting Anastasia was the moment that changed his entire world. Spontaneous and fearless, she was the only thing he had ever been certain that he loved.

Anastasia, or Anya as she now liked to be called, was his once in a lifetime love. A love he never knew existed until he found her on a cold winter morning at the cafe down the street from the closet-sized apartment that was so small he would rather spend his time anywhere else.

Dmitry waited for his cup of coffee at the counter in the cafe, when a woman had stepped in front of him while she waited. The barista behind the counter called their names at the same time and she rushed to the counter. He stepped around her, but not quickly enough to dodge her when she turned around and crashed into him, spilling her coffee down his front.

“Sorry! Uh–let me grab something to clean that!” She cried, her cheeks flushing as she examined the man on the receiving end of her haste.

She paused for a moment, catching his gaze. He laughed softly as he watched her. She shook her head and turned to find a holder with some napkins.

He looked down at his shirt and sighed. Luckily, he wasn’t off to somewhere particularly important. He could go home and change.

The woman returned with a wad of napkins and tried to dab his shirt, and he grinned stupidly as he watched her. She quickly realized her attempt was futile.

“Again, I’m really sorry,” she said quickly. “About your shirt.”

He stopped her and gently pushed her away. He quickly unbuttoned the front and stripped down to his undershirt. Dmitry gently folded the stained shirt. The woman watched him, sure he must have been upset.

Dmitry pulled his coat back on and looked at her. “Let me get you another cup.”

“That’s not right, I spilled on you,” She quickly protested.

He smiled to himself as she put up a fight. She was lucky he found the five-foot fireball trying to make up for the mess very attractive.

“But I see you have yet to be on your way, so let me buy you a cup.” He offered.

She stared at him, shoulders dropping with a sigh and finally nodded in agreement.

He smiled as he walked her back to the cash register.

She politely told the cashier her order.

“Name?” the cashier asked.

“Anya.”

“Anya?” Dmitry grinned as he looked at her. He handed the cashier his card.

“Yeah,” she smiled shyly.

He walked with her to wait. “And what do you do, Anya?”

“I’m an art student.”

“What kind of art?”

“Painting, mostly.”

“You have a last name?” He asked.

She paused as she studied him, trying to decide if he had earned the right to know her last name.

“Yes.”

“What is it? I want to be able to say I knew her when, when everyone is talking about your work in the Met or the Guggenheim.”

She laughed and swept a strand of hair out of her face, “then remember Anya Nikolaevna. It’s the name I sign on my work.”

He smiled and she smiled back at him.

“Latte for Anya!” The barista called.

She was careful as she took it from him, careful not to spill this one. Dmitry grinned as he watched a woman once in a rush take comically good care of this cup of coffee.

“I do have to get to class,” she said softly. “Thank you, for the coffee.”

“Right! Of course! I– er–“ He said quickly, as she dug through her bag for a pencil and scribbled on a napkin.

“I thought you might want this. Call me if you need someone to ruin another one of your shirts,” she grinned.

Anya turned over her shoulder and Dmitry looked at the napkin, staring at her phone number.

_And that was the beginning of it all._

It had been four years of cups of coffee, long talks late at night, living with their best friends and lots of laughter.

Dmitry held Anya close as they waited for a cab outside the movie theater. It had snowed while they were in the theater and it showed no sign of stopping.

A cab rolled up to the curb and Dmitry opened the door for Anya. She slid inside and he got in beside her. He quickly told the driver the address to their apartment as Anya cuddled up beside him.

He kissed the top of her head. He would never get over the fact that this woman was his wife. That with all her wit and charm, she chose to be his.

She gently kissed his jawline, and slid her hand under his coat. He froze at the touch of her cold hands and smiled. She kissed him gently, only the occasional bump from the ride.

As the cab drove into the intersection one block away from their building, waiting to turn left, there was a pause. Anya kissed him and he cooed to wait one more block.

She was impatient and wanted what she wanted when she wanted it.

And her fingers grasping his jaw was the last thing he remembered.

* * *

 

Dmitry woke in the hospital, the footsteps of a nurse passing through the room were the first thing he heard.

He tried to sit up, but his back ached. As he lifted his head off the pillow, there was a soreness in his neck. He had never felt so beaten and bruised in his life. Dmitry looked down at the bandage on his right hand, carefully peeling back the dressings. His hand was covered in small cuts.

Dmitry looked around the room, and stared at the nurse.

“Oh! Mr. Sudayev, you’re awake.” The nurse hurried to his side.

He looked around the room. Anya was nowhere to be seen.

“Yeah, what am I doing here?” He asked. “And where is–“ he paused. This was a hospital, and from what he could gather, he was fairly injured. He wasn’t sure he wanted to ask about Anya just yet.

“You’re alright, Dmitry, you were in an awful car accident. You’re probably going to be sore for a little while, I’ll get you something for that.” The nurse made a note as she turned away and headed down the hall. “You’re lucky they didn’t have to extract many slivers of glass from you hand.”

He looked down at his hand. So that explained the cuts and bandages.

“My wife! Where is my wife?” He called out as the nurse walked away.

She turned back to look at him. “Anya Sudayev? She’s in the ICU.”

He felt his heart drop. He just wanted to be there to hold her hand.

“Can I see her?” He asked. “Please?”

“Let’s get you taken care of first, then I’ll see what I can do.” The nurse replied.

He nodded and leaned back in his bed. He looked to his side and noticed two wedding bands sitting on the table beside him. He quickly grabbed the larger band and slid it on his finger. He held the smaller ring in his hand and held it close to his heart.

He couldn’t lose it.

He couldn’t lose her.


	2. The Romanovs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I found this chapter on my laptop, and tidied and finished it off! Enjoy!

“Mr. Sudayev, your wife is in an induced coma, which is very normal when a patient experienced a traumatic brain injury, I just want you to know there might be some side effects to her injury that we expect with time, will heal.”

“Of course, thank you for letting me see her,” Dmitry walked quickly along side the doctor who was caring for Anya. 

The doctor opened the door and led him to a bed in the ICU. She looked so small and so fragile in a hospital bed with wires connected to her, monitoring everything from her heart beat to her brain activity. Anya slowly woke and looked at Dmitry and the doctor

The doctor took a step to her bedside as Anya looked up at her.  

“Anya, you hit your head in a car accident, but you’re okay. We just kept you asleep for a little while,” the doctor said as she looked at Anya. 

“Hey,” Dmitry said softly as he smiled and gently gripped the foot of her bed. “How do you feel?”

Anya looked at him with a blank stare. “My head hurts.”

“Well, that’s perfectly normal,” the doctor replied as she scribbled a note on Anya’s chart. “I’ll get you something for that.” The doctor said as she turned away. 

She turned to leave Dmitry with his wife. 

“was anyone else injured, doctor?” Anya asked as she looked at Dmitry. 

“Anya, you know who I am, right?” Dmitry asked, his brow knitting as he looked at his wife. 

“You’re my doctor?”

Anya had a blank stare. Her blue eyes had never been so cold and lifeless. 

He felt a knot in his throat as he looked at her. He pulled a chair up to the side of her bed and sat down. 

“I’m your husband.”

Anya gave him a blank stare and he knew then she didn’t remember him. 

* * *

 

Anya had never wanted a big wedding. She said she had spent her entire life going to lavish galas and weddings celebrating the love of her most distant family members. 

Late one night, she sat on the couch with Dmitry and she gently played with his hand. “The thousands of dollars they spend on these grand celebrations, it doesn’t mean anything, Dima. My mom’s cousin spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on her wedding. They were divorced after two years. I don’t want that. I want a ceremony with people who are important to me, and the man I love.”

Dmitry looked down at her to see a tear falling down her cheek and he wiped it away and kissed her forehead.

“Whatever makes you happy,” he replied softly. 

She looked down at the simple ring on her finger. It wasn’t much, but it meant the world to her. “You.”

“Just me?” He laughed. 

“Fine, and a couple friends,”

“What about your parents, and your sisters and brother?”

“No.”

Anya didn’t talk about her family much anymore. When they had first started dating, she told him everything, how she was torn on leaving home, how she missed her little brother, how her life would never be the same without her three sisters. But she had to do what was best for herself. He just promised to be there to take care of her. 

And so the ceremony was small. Dmitry, Anya, Anya’s friend Sonya, Sonya’s boyfriend, Dmitry’s friend Vlad, and a guy a Vlad knew who was ordained and could officiate the wedding. Dmitry wasn’t too sure of that guy, but Vlad reassured him he was a nice guy, so he didn’t argue. And they needed someone who was ordained. 

Sonya’s boyfriend, Adrian, went to school with Anya, and was a film major, so he offered to tape the wedding and do a couple photographs. 

“I vow to help you love life, to always care for you, to have the patience love needs, and to let you hold me with tenderness. And to agree to disagree on whether Syrniki can be eaten for breakfast. And to know you will always be my home.” Anya smiled warmly. 

Dmitry’s lips curled into a smile. He laughed and gently wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. 

“Setting the bar kinda high, aren’t you, Romanov?”

“Would you expect any less?” She smirked as she clutched her bouquet. 

He laughed and shook his head, pulling a folded piece of paper from his coat pocket. 

Dmitry cleared his throat and looked at her, “I vow to love you now and forever, no matter what. You are a once in a lifetime love, you’re my once in a lifetime love. And to know in my soul that no matter what happens, I’ll find my way back to you. You’re my home, Anya, when I didn’t think I had a home. And I love you with my whole heart.”

Anya frowned as she wiped a tear away. “I promised myself I wouldn’t cry,”

He laughed and slid her ring on her finger, and pulled her into a deep kiss. She smiled against his lips, and he would never forget the feeling of that day. He would never forget knowing that he and Anya would be there to take care of each other, forever.

* * *

 

Dmitry walked down the hall of the hospital he needed air, or anything to shake the blank stare in Anya’s eyes. Anya’s doctor hurried after him. 

Dmitry turned over his shoulder to look at her. “You said she was doing well,”

“Mr. Sudayev, brain injuries can be somewhat unpredictable. It’s not like a broken bone. There’s no one way to heal one. Sometimes in these types of injury, the swelling can cause some confusion or memory loss,”

“She doesn’t even remember me!” Dmitry cried. His voice echoed in the cold, empty hallway.  

“Mr. Sudayev, these injuries take patience and time to heal. That’s perfectly normal for the type of injury Anya has,” the doctor reassured him. 

Dmitry pushed past the doctor and ran down the hall. He pushed through the door and to the waiting room, not sure what his next move would be. His hands curled into fists, and he uncurled them. He rubbed his face, rubbed his temples, and sank to the floor in the waiting room. 

He sat on one of the hard sofas in the waiting room, just thinking. Eventually exhaustion got the better of him, and he dozed off. 

Dmitry started to a fierce poking on his shoulder. He gasped as he started awake, and looked up. 

Anya stood over him in the empty waiting room. 

“Hey,” He said softly. 

“What are you doing?” She asked. She was wearing the cardigan she had been wearing the day of the accident, and had pulled it tight around her body, over her thin hospital gown. 

“Uh– sleeping?” His lip curled into a smile as he looked at her. There was a vague hint of of Anya’s sense of humor, always teasing and taunting him. 

“I’m a little hungry. And I wanted to talk to you.” Anya said nervously. 

“Okay, let’s get you something,” He sat up and got to his feet. 

He walked her to the cafeteria and allowed her to look everything over to choose what she would like. 

“Can I ask you a couple questions, about us?” She asked as she picked up an apple. 

“Of course,”

“So we’re married?” Anya asked. 

“Yes,”

“And my hair is weird?” Anya asked. She gazed at her reflection in one of the cafeteria sneeze guards. Her sandy blonde hair held its natural wave with soft messy curls. 

“What? No!” He laughed. “You said you didn’t want to curl it like your sisters anymore. And it took time away from your studio, and you said paint would just get in it anyway.”

He felt a warmth in his chest as he watched her. He two biggest concerns at the moment were that she didn’t remember being married and that she didn’t like her hair. 

“Studio? I have a studio? Why do I have a studio?” Anya asked as she picked up a muffin in seran wrap. 

“You’re an artist, Anya.”

“Wouldn’t that take time away from law school?”

“No, Anya, you left law school to follow your dream of being an artist, and you’re a good one too.”

He bit his lip to keep his temper. He knew this was going to be a slow and painful process, but there was a part of him that couldn’t help but feel Anya had only lost the memories of her life with him. 

“That doesn’t sound like me.” Anya shook her head. 

“Anya, you’ve gotten some big commissions! People love your art!” He tried to jog her memory, but the piece of being an artist seemed to be lost entirely. 

“No, I think I would remember that.”

“Anya, please.”

She took a bite out of the muffin she had selected. “I’m not really hungry anymore,” she said quietly as she started out of the cafeteria.

“Anya, wait! Let me walk you to your room,”

She was silent as he walked by her side. He reached for his hand, as he always did when they walked together, and she pulled her hand away. He had forgotten this was all new to her again, and it probably wasn’t comforting to have a strange man continue to claim he was her husband, and even worse, try to hold her hand. That was built on trust, and he was going to have to earn that back.

Dmitry arrived in the morning to sit with Anya. As he walked down the hall to her room, he found she was gone. 

“Excuse me, where is Anya?” He said frantically as he stopped a nurse. 

“Anya Sudayev was moved upstairs this morning.” The nurse replied. 

He hurried up to the floor with private rooms. As he passed by the room, he caught Anya through the window and he stepped inside. 

“I just can’t believe Tatya’s brother-in-law had to tell us you were here! For God’s sake, Anastasia, why would no one call us!” A woman cried. 

The woman shared similarities with Anya, but mostly looked like the photo he had seen of her mother. 

Dmitry stepped inside, “Good morning, I hope I’m not interrupting,”

“Who are you?” The woman demanded as she turned to look at him. 

Dmitry held his hands up, “I think I could ask you the same question.”

“Olga Romanov. You?”

“Dmitry Sudayev, Anya’s husband.”

“Husband? Nastasia isn’t married, is she?” The woman looked at a second young woman sitting in the room. The second woman shrugged. The woman sitting in the spare chair looked younger than the woman who had introduced herself as Olga. Dmitry guessed this might have been Tatiana, the second eldest sister out of the five Romanov siblings. 

“Sorry! Sorry! There was traffic coming into the city!” A third woman rushed into the room with another young man. 

Dmitry couldn’t believe his eyes, there he had all four of Anya’s siblings in the same room. 

“She’s doing fine, Mashka, she just needs a little rest,” Olga said softly. 

“Mashka? Alyosha?” Anya asked. 

“Nastasia, we left as soon as Tatya called,” Maria said softly as she gently took Anya’s hand. Maria shared the closest similarities to Anya in appearance. 

Anya smiled. Dmitry frowned. She seemed to have a very clear memory of her family. Dmitry bit his tongue. It was not his place to say anything. 

“Mama and Papa are on their way,” Olga said. 

“I can– uh–“ Dmitry gestured vaguely as he tried to think of a suitable reason for him to stay. He thought Olga had quite the bite, and it seemed she already thought ill of him. 

“How long have you and Anastasia been married?” The third sister, Maria he was pretty sure, asked.

“About two years,” he said softly as he twisted the band on his finger. 

“I’m sure it was lovely,” Maria smiled. She appeared genuine. How were you supposed to speak to the brother-in-law you didn’t know you had?

“Did you have a planner?” Maria asked. 

“No,” Dmitry shook his head, “no, it was quite small.”

“I’m in the market for one,” Maria said softly as she fixed the ring on her finger. 

“Congrats,” Dmitry replied. “That’s a beautiful ring.”

“Thank you,” Maria smiled as her cheeks turned rosey.

“Was it a courthouse?” Tatiana asked. “Olya, Mama would die!”

Olga laughed. 

“Tatya! Olya!” Alexei finally snapped. He glared at his two older sister, both seemed well adjusted to the lavish life Anya had run so far from. 

“It was in a museum. An old friend of mine knows the curator.” Dmitry grimaced.

“That sounds beautiful!” Maria offered a grin to soften her sisters’ harsh laughter. 

“Yeah, well it was,” Dmitry looked at Anya, “if only now she could remember it. 

The room fell silent. Dmitry shifted uncomfortably, knowing this was only the very beginning of the questioning he would go through before this was over. The sisters seemed to want him to go, but were taught too polite to ask him to leave. 

“Doshenka!” A tall man hurried into the room. He pushed past the sisters to Anya’s bedside, and took her hand in his own. A stoic woman stood by the foot of her bed as she watched her husband rush to her daughter’s side. 

“Papa!” Anya smiled weakly. 

He leaned down to kiss her forehead. 

“How are you feeling?” her father asked. 

“I’m okay, just a headache but the nurse is taking care of it.”

Olga cleared her throat as she glanced over at Dmitry. 

“Mama, Papa, this is Dmitry, Nastasia’s husband,” Maria said quickly as she glared at Olga. Maria took the lead before Olga had the chance to butcher introducing Dmitry. 

“Husband?” Alix asked. Her brow arched. “Anastasia is not married.”

“Yes, she is, Mama.” Maria replied sternly. “This is Nastasia’s husband, Dmitry.”

Nicholas turned to look at Maria and Dmitry. He straightened out and walked over to Dmitry. 

Dmitry could feel Anya’s father picking and judging every inch of him as he walked over to shake his hand. The room was silent. The sisters held their breath, all three knowing how terrifying it was to introduce a man to their father. 

“Nicholas,” The man said as he offered his hand. 

Dmitry shook it, “It’s a pleasure, sir.” 

Anya’s doctor hurried into the room, “Oh, good, you’re all here. I wanted to discuss with all of you trying to help Anya return to a normal life. As she goes about her days in a routine, her memories will likely start to come back to her. We want to keep things as normal for her as possible.”

“Of course, doctor. Anya, we’ll pack you bags and take you home,” Alix said quickly. 

“What?” Dmitry interjected. “Didn’t you just hear her say we need to get Anya back to her normal life?”

“Yes, her normal life includes her family,” Alix replied. 

“Her normal life is with me,” Dmitry snapped. 

“Yes, but she doesn’t remember you,” Alix said coldly. 

Dmitry’s mouth gaped. Somehow hearing it out loud, hearing what he knew, and everyone else knew, hurt even more. 

“Please, stop arguing,” Anya interjected. “I have a headache.”

Dmitry’s brow softened as he looked at her. “We’ll discuss this later, I think she needs some rest right now.”

Her sisters slowly filed out of the room, Maria the final sister in the room as she gently kissed Anya’s hand. Anya smiled at her. 

Maria lingered in the hallway after all the Romanovs had long filed out. Dmitry headed out to clear his head. Maria grabbed his arm and pulled him to the side. “Hey, I’m really sorry about… my family. This is probably exactly why Anya never introduced you. And why we never knew she was married. But I’m with you. Anya doesn’t need to go back home. She needs to be with you. I can tell you love her a lot, and she needs that.”

“I love her more than anything,” Dmitry’s lips curled into a smile just thinking about her. “I’d give anything for her to remember me.”

Maria’s eyes softened. Dmitry bit his lip and brushed a tear off his cheek. Maria gently touched his arm. “She will remember you. I know she will.”

He was silent, lost in thought. 

“Thanks, Maria,” Dmitry said softly as he came to. 

“Get some rest, you need it.” 

He laughed, and caught her smile as she turned away, and headed down the hall. 


End file.
